First published 30 Oct 2026, 12:13pm
For Brisbane mum Rina Cavazza and Melbourne retiree Frances Paroissien, life aboard a cruise ship was meant to be a permanent escape.
Instead, two Aussie women have been left homeless after the cruise ship they were living on suddenly shut down.
The pair were among passengers living aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey when the residential cruise ship abruptly suspended operations in Cambodia, forcing everyone to disembark with just hours’ notice.
The Odyssey, operated by US-based Villa Vie Residences, had set sail from Belfast in October 2024 on a planned three-and-a-half-year round-the-world voyage, promising residents visits to more than 425 destinations across 147 countries.
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But after about 25 months at sea, the dream has unravelled.
There were 203 passengers and 156 crew members on board when the ship was docked in Sihanoukville on Tuesday, including five Australians.
The Villa Vie Odyssey is docked in Cambodia after its operator announced a suspension of operations, citing soaring fuel costs. Credit: 7NEWS
Cavazza, who paid $170,000 for a berth, had been living aboard since the ship departed Belfast and still had 18 months left on her plan when residents were told they had seven hours to leave.
“I’m more numb than anything,” she told 7NEWS .
“There’s always been issues for the last couple of months, but we always thought there was a light at the end of the tunnel.”
She said the fuel crisis may have been the final blow, but not the real cause of the ship’s collapse.
Brisbane passenger Rina Cavazza says she feels ‘more numb than anything’. Credit: 7NEWS
Cavazza also said residents had been asked to tip in more money to keep the operation going.
“They’ve been doing cash calls out to the residents and stuff, which I couldn’t do and wouldn’t do, but many have,” she said.
In a statement, Florida-based Villa Vie Residences blamed the war in Iran and soaring fuel prices for the decision to suspend operations.
“Extraordinary increases in fuel costs have placed our current operating model under unsustainable financial pressure,” the company said.
Rina Cavazza’s cabin aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey. Credit: 7NEWS
It said monthly fuel costs per cabin, which had averaged about $US1800, had climbed to between $US6000 and $US8000 in parts of Asia.
Passengers were told to be off the ship by 2pm on Tuesday, leaving many scrambling to find accommodation and make new travel arrangements.
For Paroissien, 78, the situation is especially grim.
The widow had already lost $85,000 in the failed Life at Sea venture before buying a cabin on the Odyssey for more than $200,000 under a 15-year lease.
She had spent 25 months aboard before being forced off.
“I am cheesed off that action didn’t happen earlier so that this could be avoided.”
Paroissien said residents were told in August that the company owed millions to a bank and other creditors.
Melbourne retiree Frances Paroissien says she is ‘cheesed off’ that action was not taken sooner to address the cruise ship’s financial troubles Credit: 7NEWS
She said passengers had contributed more than $US2 million to help the ship leave Singapore, but later rejected another request for money because they no longer knew where it was going.
“We were worried that the money that we had contributed to fuel and to stabilise the business was going in this fairyland of becoming multiple ship owners,” she said.
With no home to go back to in Australia, Paroissien has leased an apartment in Thailand for six months.
“I’m not going home because I don’t have a home to go to,” she said.
According to reports, Villa Vie Residences initially allowed passengers to own, rent or lease cabins for long-term life aboard the Odyssey, with prices starting at $189,999 for passengers aged 75 to 79, plus monthly maintenance fees from $2999 depending on room size and occupancy.
The ship can carry up to 970 passengers and had been marketed as a “continual world cruise”, spending several days in each port.
One of the bedrooms aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey.
Cabins on board generally ranged from 130 to 225 square feet, alongside a 675 square-foot owner’s suite.
The lifestyle had drawn travellers looking for a simpler, more permanent alternative to life on land.
US resident Sharon Lane, who moved aboard in June last year, previously said the decision to live on the Odyssey was one of the easiest she had ever made.
“Not only was it affordable to me, it would actually cost me less money to live here like this, have everyone taking care of me instead of me taking care of everybody,” she said.
“All the chores you do in life? Done!
“If you put your to-do list on a piece of paper and you cross off anything that wasn’t a fun activity, then you end up with the life we have now.”
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